Computer Usage Basics 003

Freeware Productivity software and open source too

• Open Office this is a productivity tool for many document design activities. You think of a problem one of the tools in this software can solve it. Instant PDF too. Flowcharts are easy.
• Basic protection for your SOHO computer. For virus try free AVG Anti Virus and a firewall to protect from data theft try free ZoneAlarm.
• gif is a closed graphics format, it is better to use Png, use irfanview to convert from gif to png.
• Make a image with any image editor and print to "HP Color LaserJet 8550-PS" to a file my_circuit.ps, set proper page size A4, A3, portrait or landscape with color. Open post script or *.ps file with Ghostgum Software, ghost view, with ghost script installed. then file-convert-pdfwrite-defaults will give pdf file.
• CDROMS have shelf life of 50 years, flash memory devices could be read and erased around 10,000 times when they were developed, now things may be better.
• CDROMS made before year 2000 should not be used on 48X drives as it will crack and break, use 24X drives and make backups. These days things are ok.
• When you use google to search do not search for words you want, imagine what words the composer of the page you want would have used.